It’s been more than a year since Pokémon Go developer Niantic and Warner Bros. announced they were working on a mobile augmented reality game based on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter franchise. Today, those companies gave us a glimpse of how that game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will play.
A new teaser for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite doesn’t show any actual gameplay, but it does hint at what players will be doing. In the brief, live-action trailer, a witch tracks down a rogue Golden Snitch, the flying ball used in games of Quidditch, and summons a poster warning other witches and wizards that magical things are crossing over into the Muggle world — an event apparently known as the Calamity.
It sounds like containing that Calamity will be the primary mission for mobile wizards; players will explore real-world locations to “global mystery, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts and iconic characters along the way,” all while maintaining the secrecy of the Wizarding World.
The Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’s website — which has recently been updated — further explains the mission players will undertake under decree from the Ministry of Magic.
As a member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force (a new task force formed in partnership between the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards) you will hone lightning fast wand reflexes, an ability to sniff out the faintest whiff of magical disorder from afar, and proficiency in advanced casting of multiple spells.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is being co-published and co-developed by Niantic and WB Games’ Portkey Games label. It’s expected to hit mobile devices in 2019.
